As it happened: James Cleverly rejects calls to put a cap on migrant numbers

James Cleverly rejected Tory calls to put a cap on the number of migrants coming to Britain every year as he set out a new five-point plan designed to reduce arrivals.

The Home Secretary set out measures including stopping overseas care workers from bringing family dependents, reforming the shortage occupation list and increasing the skilled worker earning threshold by one-third to £38,700.

Shortly after his speech in the Commons, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, a former business secretary, asked him: “Does my Right Honourable friend think it would be a good idea to have a cap on the number coming in?”

Mr Cleverly replied: “While I understand the calls for a cap, in practical terms managing a cap is difficult. We would want to make sure we are being as generous as possible to the people who contribute to our society and to our economy, and recognise that not every single individual, the difference between a child that would count as one person against a cap, or to an investor that may bring a huge number of job, they are not the same and we want to be able to make the difference between the two.”

The Government is hoping that the measures announced on Monday will reduce migration by around 300,000.

05:14 PM GMT

That's all for today...

A new package of measures to cut record net migration will see the number of people moving to the UK fall by 300,000, James Cleverly told MPs on Monday.

The Home Secretary announced a five-point plan that included a ban on foreign care workers bringing dependants, a big increase in the salary required for skilled foreign workers to get a visa to £38,700, and the scrapping of companies being allowed to hire cut-price labour from overseas for roles where there is a shortage of workers.

You can read more from my colleagues Charles Hymas and Ben Riley-Smith here, and I will be back tomorrow to guide you through all the latest.

05:06 PM GMT

Former cabinet minister criticises skills-based system

George Eustice, a former cabinet minister, asked: “Isn’t the problem with a skills-based immigration policy that it gives preferential access to bankers, to lawyers, to accountants, to economists, even though we have no need for such people in this country. We have plenty here, homegrown talent.

“But it actually makes it very difficult to recruit the people we do need. Care workers, people who work in the food industry, in manufacturing, producing things generally, or indeed in the tourism industry. So will the Secretary of State consider moving away from this failed skills-based migration policy and instead move to one based on the needs of our economy?”

Mr Cleverly replied: “I have a huge amount of respect for my Rt Hon friend. But the truth is the figures do not bear out his assessment. The vast, vast majority of the people we’ve seen in the last couple of years’ worth of immigration figures are in the lower end of the skills spectrum. It just does not bear out the point that he’s made.”

05:04 PM GMT

'The net immigration figures are unsustainably high'

Tim Loughton, a Tory member of the home affairs select committee, said: “The net immigration figures are unsustainably high, notwithstanding the large element of Ukrainian and Hong Kong people coming here.

“So I welcome most of these proposals, particularly the action on dependents which have gone up by sevenfold since 2020, particularly pertaining to care and health workers. And we’ve heard about care workers recruited to homes that don’t exist and dependents who have no connection with those awarded visas being put together by people traffickers. So how are measures going to be taken to make sure that these are enforced and these abuses do not continue to happen?”

Mr Cleverly replied: “We’ve already started to take action on this and the proposals we’ve put forward today will take that further, ensuring that care homes are registered with the CQC goes a long way to prevent the abuses that he has discussed.”

04:59 PM GMT

James Cleverly rejects calls for a cap on migration

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, a former business secretary, asked James Cleverly: “Does my Rt Hon friend think it would be a good idea to have a cap on the number coming in?”

The Home Secretary replied: “While I understand the calls for a cap, in practical terms managing a cap is difficult. We would want to make sure we are being as generous as possible to the people who contribute to our society and to our economy, and recognise that not every single individual, the difference between a child that would count as one person against a cap, or to an investor that may bring a huge number of job, they are not the same and we want to be able to make the difference between the two.”

04:57 PM GMT

James Cleverly: Labour has no plan of its own

James Cleverly accused Yvette Cooper of having no policies of her own as she said Labour had “dissuaded people from investing in their own skills” by pushing a 50 per cent university target.

The Home Secretary said Labour offered a “disincentive” for investment, adding: “She failed to make reference to the £7bn employment package that was announced in the spring budget, that will help 1.1m people get back to work and stay in work.

“I said that Labour had a plan for migration. The problem they have got is the plan they are proposing is the plan I am already implementing.”

04:55 PM GMT

Yvette Cooper likens Rishi Sunak to 'shopping trolley'

04:52 PM GMT

Yvette Cooper: Government 'all over the place' on immigration

Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, accused the Government of a “chaotic panic” and “more chaos, more veering all over the place”.

“Net migration should come down. Labour has called for an end to the 20 per cent unfair discount, also for increased salary thresholds to prevent exploitation and include advice from a strengthened migration advisory committee, and most of all we’ve called for a proper plan with clear links between the immigration system and training and the economy, workforce plans... None of which are included in the statement today.

“Because they have no grip, no proper plan, this is a chaotic approach. Immigration is important for Britain and rightly we have helped Ukraine and Hong Kong, we benefit from international talent and students. But is that why the immigration system needs to be controlled and managed so that it is fair and effective, and also why immigration should come down from these record levels.

“But there needs to be a proper plan. It was this Conservative Government who brought in the 20 per cent wage discount that allowed employers to recruit at less than the going rate, even though the migration committee warned against it, even though it is completely unfair.”

04:48 PM GMT

'It is another example of the total chaos at the heart of this Government'

Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary, said the plans were an admission of years of failure by the Government to get a grip on net migration, which had trebled in just four years, writes Charles Hymas, our Home Affairs Editor.

“It is another example of the total chaos at the heart of this Government,” she told MPs.

04:45 PM GMT

James Cleverly declares 'enough is enough' as he sets out five-point plan

James Cleverly told MPs: “This package of measures, taken in addition with the measures on student dependants that we have already announced in May, means that around 300,000 fewer people will be eligible to come to the UK than were coming last year. This is the largest reduction on record.

“Immigration policy must be fair, consistent, legal and sustainable. That is why we are also taking the fight to illegal migration. Our plan to stop the boats is working, small boat arrivals are down by a third even as illegal migration across the rest of Europe is on the rise.

“Today we have taken decisive action to reduce migration with our five-point plan. Enough is enough. We are curbing abuses to the healthcare visa. We are increasing thresholds, cutting the SOL discount, increasing family income requirements and cutting the number of student dependents.”

04:42 PM GMT

Breaking: James Cleverly announces new five-point plan on migration

James Cleverly said the public are “understandably worried” about housing, GP appointments and other public services when communities are “growing quickly in numbers”.

The Home Secretary went on to announce a five-point plan:

• Stopping overseas care workers from bringing family dependents

• Increasing the skilled worker earning threshold by a third, to £38,700 from next spring

• Scrapping cut-price shortage labour from overseas by reforming the shortage occupation list

• Raising the minimum income for family visas to the same threshold as skilled workers (£38,700)

• Reviewing the graduate route “to prevent abuse” and protect the quality of the university sector

04:35 PM GMT

James Cleverly: Migration is far too high

James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, was cheered by the Conservatives benches as he said “migration to this country is far too high and needs to come down”.

“Today we are taking more robust action than any other government before in order to bring this down. Since my first day in the Home Office just three weeks ago I have been determined to crack down on those who try to jump the queue...

“The recent figures from the ONS show a provisional estimate of net migration for the year ending 2023 of 672,000. Whilst this is lower than the ONS estimate for net migration for the year ending 2022, it is still far too high. When our country voted to leave the European Union, we also voted to take control of our borders.

“Now thanks to our Conservative government we now have a points-based immigration system through which we can control who comes to the UK. We prioritise the skills and talent that we need to grow the economy and support our NHS and we have a competitive visa system for globally mobile talent.”

04:19 PM GMT

'I'm delighted the Government has listened to us'

Ahead of James Cleverly’s statement on migration, Danny Kruger, the co-chairman of the New Conservatives group of backbench Tory MPs which campaigned for these measures, tells my colleague Ben Riley-Smith: “I’m delighted the Government has listened to us, and to communities across Britain.

“Lower migration will boost productivity and wages and reduce pressure on housing and public services. It’s what we promised to do in 2019 and comes not a moment too soon for the next election.”

03:59 PM GMT

'The time has come for the UK to work towards a ceasefire'

Rehman Chishti, a Tory MP and former minister, has broken with his party’s line to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“With regards to the loss of life that we’ve seen across the board, we have to do everything we can to preserve human lives. Now I’ve supported at the very early stage humanitarian pauses to do that. But the time has come for the UK to take a lead at the UN as a member of the Security Council, lead at the Security Council, call for a ceasefire...

“We all have our own views in this matter. Having supported humanitarian pauses before, the time has come for the UK to work towards a ceasefire, release of all the hostages, humanitarian assistance and a political solution in line with our own Security Council resolution... When will we push that at the Security Council and lead the world on this matter?”

03:31 PM GMT

Ross Clark: Freezing the TV licence fee is not enough – it needs scrapping

The cost of living crisis is leading to pets being abandoned, Christmas parties being cancelled and fertility treatment delayed, writes Ross Clark.

Schools are becoming the “fourth emergency service” as they try to feed and clothe children. And that is just some of the BBC’s output on the subject from the past week.

But funnily enough there is one factor in the cost of living which doesn’t seem to get mentioned so much: the television licence fee. Next April, following a two year freeze, the licence fee is due to rise with inflation, taking it from £159 to £173.30.

That is a quite a hike for people on low incomes, or who are trying to live on fixed incomes from their savings, which is why culture secretary Lucy Frazer suggested yesterday that the BBC might be told it will have to put up with a lesser rise. The BBC is apparently unimpressed, with a source moaning “we get that there are cost of living challenges, but some of our competitors have put up costs by over 30 percent.”

Ross Clark: A subscription model would be liberating for both BBC and public

03:11 PM GMT

Starmer: 'Of course' £28bn subject to our fiscal rules

Sir Keir Starmer was asked by The Telegraph’s Nick Gutteridge whether, if growth is slower than expected, the £28bn in green investment is a figure that might never be actually reached.

“We will ramp up to that and get to that in the second half of the Parliament. It is of course subject to our fiscal rules. That is not special to the £28bn. Talk to Rachel Reeves about this, everything we do is subject to the fiscal rules. They are the most important foundational stone.

“This is not just about going into an election, they’re fundamental and they’re fundamental for a reason. Last year we tried the experiment of unfunded commitments that would not be consistent with our fiscal rules, we tried it with Liz Truss as a country, and it didn’t land well, did it? It caused huge economic harm. Who’s paying the price? Who’s mortgage has gone up? Who’s struggling at the supermarket?

“Working people. I’m not prepared to let that happen ever again. Those fiscal rules, they’re not a straitjacket for the £28bn, they’re a foundational stone for everything that we should do. By the way I’m confident, I’m really confident, that we can make within our fiscal rules.”

Sir Keir insisted it would be “unrealistic” to say whether the state would be larger as a proportion of GDP after five yeras of a Labour government.

03:05 PM GMT

I'm a massive believer in public services, insists Starmer

Asked whether he could rule out budget cuts to departments, Sir Keir Starmer replied: “On public services, I’m a massive believer in public services. I gave up five years of my life out of practice as a lawyer in order to run a public service, which was the Crown Prosecution Service.

“So I do care about, I believe in public services, and I know a thing or two about the constraints of delivering in public services, and I’m certainly not in the business of cutting the funding which is why the focus is so much on growth. What I would say, though, is we must never forget that our public services need reform.”

Challenged on how people’s lives will be better after two years of a Labour government, Sir Keir said: “Higher living standards, felt across the country, giving people hope. A sense that we have a direction as a country, a sense that we’ve got a government that wants to bring people together and has got a clear idea of where it’s going. A sense that we’ve got economic growth, which is living standards raised.

“A sense that the change we’ve got to make with energy is not just an obligation, a millstone around our neck, but a huge opportunity... A sense that the health service, which most people are anxious about, will it last any longer, is in good hands and is going to be there for decades to come. A sense that young people have opportunities under a Labour government that they don’t have at the moment.”

02:58 PM GMT

We need a closer economic relationship with the EU, says Starmer

Asked about what the “possibilities of Brexit” are, Sir Keir Starmer replied: “It’s not a panacea, I’m not going to pretend that it is. I’ve just come back from Dubai at Cop28 talking to obviously world leaders but also businesses. We can have a more agile, a quicker discussion about what we can... There are areas we can move at speed and agility that we probably didn’t have before, and I think we need to make the most of that.

“That doesn’t mean we pretend that being outside the EU is the absolute silver bullet that’s now going to unleash growth. Nor is it to pretend that the deal we’ve got is good enough, because it’s not good enough. We need a better deal than the one we’ve got. We need a closer economic relationship with the EU, our main trading partner.

“Now that doesn’t mean going back into the EU, and in all the discussions I’m having with international leaders no one’s saying you’ve got to rejoin, but they are interested in what does a closer relationship actually look like?”

02:52 PM GMT

Starmer: I've not given up on redistribution

Asked if he had “given up” on the redistribution of wealth, Sir Keir Starmer replied: “No, of course not, but I think it’s very important to recast the way that redistriution should work.”

He said he “fundamentally” rejected the idea that certain parts of the country could deliver growth while other regions were “cast by the wayside”.

02:46 PM GMT

Starmer: We will 'ramp up' to £28bn a year in green spending

Sir Keir Starmer said Labour would only “ramp up” to £28bn a year in green spending by the second half of the next parliament, “subject to our fiscal rules”.

“I am confident that if we turbo-charge the growth that we need, we will be able to achieve the investment we need within the fiscal rules.”

Pressed on whether he would oversee a decline in public investment, he replied: “Look, I mean the figures that we’re going to inherit are pretty awful figures...

“We will borrow to invest subject to our fiscal rules. But I do think it’s a mistake to think that that’s all that you need to do to trigger growth. If we don’t create the conditions of stability, we won’t be able to trigger growth.”

Sir Keir argued that most businesses wanted him to take “tough decisions” in order to achieve growth over and above increasing state investment.

02:40 PM GMT

Starmer: Labour must spend money like it belongs to voters, not us

Sir Keir Starmer said that when he says to his sister “let’s go to the pub for lunch”, she will reply “I’ll make sandwiches”.

“So I’ve said to every member of my shadow cabinet, when they’re drawing up their plans for our manifesto, think carefully about how precious every pound is for the people that we must serve. Hold them in your mind’s eye, and approach the public finances, spending decisions, like it’s their money, because at the end of the day it is.”

He added: “My ambition for Britain [is] a chance to turn the page on a miserable chapter of decline and with a new economic plan, with a new determination, with growth that will deliver the security working people, we will walk down the hard road towards national renewal. A Britain building again, growing again, believing again that we will get our future back.”

02:36 PM GMT

Starmer: Growth is everything - and the only way out of this

Sir Keir Starmer told the Resolution Foundation conference: “Never before has a British government asked its people to pay so much for so little, and that’s why growth is everything. It’s not just the quickest way out of this, it’s the only way.”

Sir Keir said it would be a “hard road to walk” to recover economic growth, insisting an incoming Labour government would not “turn on the spending taps”.

“Inflation, debt, taxes are now huge constraints. Of course we will make different choices. On the non-dom tax status, invested in cutting NHS waiting lists. On removing private school tax breaks, invested in high-quality teaching and our children’s mental health. But at the same time we will be ruthless when it comes to spending every pound wisely.

“I ran a public service in the days of austerity, I know hard it can be. But I also know you can always find ways to improve delivery.”

02:28 PM GMT

Sir Keir Starmer sets out 'securonomics'

Sir Keir Starmer referred to Labour’s plan for the economy as ‘securonomics’, a term coined by Rachel Reeves, his shadow chancellor.

“First, that the stability we enjoyed during the great moderation, that period of calm during the financial crash and the conditions it provided for hyper-globalisation, that era is over. Cooperation and trade must now respect a mutual need for security.

“Second, that broad-based growth, economic security for every community, is now the only way to a stable politics and national unity. In short, we have to deliver on levelling up. We have to provide a more secure foundation for working people to get on with cheaper bills, more homeownership and stronger worker rights. But most of all we have to provide sustained economic stability.”

02:26 PM GMT

Sir Keir Starmer: Productivity growth will become Labour's 'obsession'

Sir Keir Starmer has said the “defining purpose of the next Labour government” will be raising Britain’s productivity to secure economic growth.

“[This is] a goal that for my Labour Party will become an obsession. That’s a big change for us, having wealth creation as your number one priority. That’s not always been the Labour Party’s comfort zone, trust me.

“But that’s the change I knew was necessary, that’s the change I’ve delivered and my party is united behind it. We see clearly the country before us. But I do want to be clear, it’s not the case that any growth will do. We can’t be agnostic about the sort of growth we pursue.

“The growth we need must better serve working people and must raise living standards in every community.”

Reflecting on the last Labour administration, Sir Keir added: “Even during the last time we were in government, even when we enjoyed the most sustained period of redistribution in British history, did it redistribute dignity and respect to working people or was that glue for too many places starting to come a little unstuck?”

Sir Keir insisted his party must establish “a new economic consensus with a different model of growth, a different set of values and a different analysis of the state and its role in the economy”.

02:20 PM GMT

Sir Keir Starmer: Britain is going backwards and in decline

Sir Keir Starmer said the “biggest question in British politics” is ending stagnation and delivering “the economic security that is essential for [Britons’] hopes, aspirations and future”.

“I know it’s been a busy year, and I’m sorry that I can’t promise that next year will be any easier,” Sir Keir told the Resolution Foundation conference.

He drew attention to a “truly shocking” chart published by the think tank following the Autumn Statement, which showed that this Parliament is on track to be the first in modern history where living standards have contracted.

“Over the last 13 years we may have become a little desensitised to findings like this. But these aren’t the concerns of the past. This isn’t living standards rising too slowly, or unequal contractions and concentrations of wealth and opportunity.

“This is Britain going backwards - decline. Not just diagnosed subjectively by politicians, a decline that can be measured and experienced in the homes, the pockets and aspirations and anxieties of millions of people across Britain... What this does to a country, the cultural trauma, this needs to be understood.”

02:05 PM GMT

Starmer set to give speech on economy

Sir Keir Starmer is set to give a speech about the economy at the Resolution Foundation conference in a few minutes’ time.

He will then take part in a ‘fireside chat’ with Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief of the Economist magazine.

01:47 PM GMT

Sunak has finally 'seen sense' on migration, says Braverman ally

One of Suella Braverman’s closest allies has praised the Government for having “seen sense” in its planned crackdown on illegal immigration.

Sir John Hayes, who also chairs the Common Sense Group of backbench Conservative MPs, told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme: “The Government has finally, it seems to me, seen sense. You can’t have 1.3 million people entering the country over two years without catastrophic consequences.

“There’s been a naivety on the part of some of the people advising [the] government, but actually that’s now been put aside and we’re seeing sense. We’re doing the right thing by the British people.”

Asked for the solution to a lack of workers, Sir John replied: “The solution is to employ British workers for British jobs. It’s not that complicated.”

01:34 PM GMT

Tories reintroduce membership cards – and ask members to choose the design

The Conservative Party is reintroducing paper membership cards from January 1 – and has now asked activists to vote for their preferred design.

Paid-up Tory members have a choice between four designs, which are labelled ‘Union Flag’, ‘Heritage’, ‘True Blue’ and ‘Classic’.

Richard Holden, the party chairman, said: “We have four fantastic designs which we’re going to put forward to the membership, for you to choose from. I’ve got my own personal favourite already, but I want to hear your views.”

01:25 PM GMT

Analysis: 'Things are looking worse than Truss'

As a shock new study from JL Partners suggests Rishi Sunak is now less popular with 2019 Tory voters than Liz Truss ever was, Scarlett Maguire from the polling firm has this analysis:

01:13 PM GMT

Andrew Orlowski: Whitehall mandarins are stalling Britain’s nuclear power revolution

When Nissan announced a big new investment in Sunderland last month, it was a resounding blow to the doomsayers who predicted Brexit would hasten the exit of manufacturing, writes Andrew Orlowski. But the investment came with a warning. Nissan only stays if energy costs are competitive.

And that’s a problem. Last week we experienced our first dunkelflaute of the winter. That’s the term used in the renewable energy industry to refer to a period of high pressure and calm that we experience in winter, when the leaves crunch beneath our feet, but the blades of the wind turbines don’t turn.

As The Telegraph reported, this event pushed our energy system close to breaking point. But if successive governments had done their job, we would have more than enough power to spare.

We have abundant natural gas resources in Europe that lie completely untapped beneath our feet. Yet we pay the highest price for gas in Europe, and did so even before Putin’s tanks rolled into Ukraine, thanks to the design of the energy market.

Andrew Orlowski: Successive governments must take the blame for our energy crunch

12:43 PM GMT

Tim Stanley: Boris should turn the tables on this Inquiry

Boris gets grilled by the Covid Inquiry on Wednesday and is expected to deliver one of his Hugh Grant-style apologies: “Golly, gosh, sorry for, uh, killing your grandma”, writes Tim Stanley.

Things augur badly. The inquiry has turned into an indictment of Boris’s No  10, with reports of him delaying action and making the brave argument that Covid was “nature’s way of dealing with old people.” The fact that he nearly died himself has been curiously forgotten.

But beneath the tweetable clips a more complicated narrative is emerging, one that contradicts the inquiry’s approach and makes Boris look better than it thinks. If I were him, I’d play the Kerry Packer defence (I’ll explain what that is later on).

The inquiry is meant to examine what happened and what we can learn from it, but partly because of the prominence given to the families of the bereaved, it presumes that something in Britain went uniquely and disastrously wrong. Blame is pinned on Brexit populists. Scientists get an easy ride. We are being drip-fed the thesis that Britain would be better run by unelected experts.

Tim Stanley: The awkward truth? Boris’s Covid response was correct

12:33 PM GMT

Duke and Duchess of Sussex could be stripped of royal titles under MP’s Bill

Parliament could consider stripping the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their royal titles under legislation proposed this week, writes Neil Johnston.

Bob Seely, the Conservative MP, has said the House of Commons should consider the “nuclear option” of denying the couple their Duke and Duchess standing amid the royal racism row.

The Duke and Duchess have remained silent following the naming of the two Royal family members alleged to have made remarks about the colour of their unborn child’s skin.

Their identities first emerged in the Dutch translation of the book Endgame by Omid Scobie that were then reported by news organisations around the world.

12:23 PM GMT

Britain 'bucking the trend' on illegal migration, insists No10

Asked about the number of small boat arrivals this year surpassing the 2021 figure on Saturday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I don’t think the figures are confirmed, I think the Home Office publishes them in the normal way.

“I think people understand the context but illegal migration is increasing globally, illegal crossings in the Mediterranean are up 80 per cent this year. Small boat crossings are down a third on this time last year, and the UK is bucking the trend.

“That is down to the intensive efforts we have made to stop the boats, including efforts with our international partners and our returns agreement with Albania.”

12:10 PM GMT

Immigration must reduce 'significantly' and in the short-term, says No10

Legal levels of immigration must reduce “significantly” and “in the short-term”, Downing Street has said.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman made the remarks ahead of a statement by James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, at 3:30pm, which will see Mr Cleverly set out a raft of new measures designed to bring numbers down.

“We’ve acknowledged there is more to do. Obviously we do have the ability to flex our system and we have responded to the pressures we face, particularly with the Covid pandemic and our health service,” the spokesman said.

“But the numbers are too high, there is evidence of abuse in the system and that’s what we will clamp down on today. Obviously we do need to as ever balance out the need to lower migration and potential economic impacts that might have. We’ve made those considerations ahead of any policy announcement.

“We think the numbers are too high, they do need to reduce significantly and in the short term. As I said, the exact timescales will vary.”

11:53 AM GMT

Starmer is a ‘conviction politician’ like Thatcher, says Labour election chief

Sir Keir Starmer would govern as a “conviction politician” like Margaret Thatcher if he became prime minister, Labour’s election chief has said amid a row over the opposition leader’s praise for the Iron Lady.

Sir Keir is facing criticism from trade unions and his own MPs after he used an article for The Telegraph to praise Thatcher for effecting “meaningful change” in Britain.

But Pat McFadden, Labour’s national campaign coordinator, insisted previous party leaders had made similar remarks in the past and it would not signal an ideological shift.

In an attempt to woo support from centre-Right voters, Sir Keir accused the Tories of a “betrayal” of their promises over illegal immigration.

Read the full story here

11:31 AM GMT

Sunak now faring worse than Truss with 2019 Tory voters

Rishi Sunak is now faring worse than Liz Truss with the 2019 Tory voters who decided the last election.

A new study by JL Partners found that just 59 per cent of Conservative voters at the most recent election plan to stick with them next year, a figure that is down from 63 per cent after Ms Truss’s mini-Budget.

It also suggests Mr Sunak has lost half a million votes since party conference in October, which was supposed to act as a turning point for the Prime Minister.

Out of their 2019 voters, the Tories are haemorraghing support to both Labour (whom 18 per cent of 2019 Tory backers would now support) and Reform UK (15 per cent).

11:31 AM GMT

Rishi Sunak to unveil major package of measures to slash net migration

Rishi Sunak is to unveil a major package of measures on Monday to slash record levels of net migration, including a big increase in the salary threshold for foreign workers.

The Prime Minister has bowed to pressure from Cabinet ministers and MPs for a significant rise in the minimum salary required for a foreign skilled worker to come to Britain from its current level of £26,200.

It is understood the new figure will be higher than the £35,000 a year – the current median salary – proposed by Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister.

The move goes further than some anticipated and effectively revives the pre-Brexit immigration system, when skilled foreign workers largely required degrees.

Charles Hymas and Ben Riley-Smith have more here

11:26 AM GMT

Britain beats itself up too much, says Jeremy Hunt

Britain must not lose its self-belief and spends too much time “beating ourselves up”, Jeremy Hunt has declared.

He told a Resolution Foundation conference: “It’s really important not to lose our self-belief, and I think that we are one of the world’s best and most brilliant countries at beating ourselves up.

“Because we have brilliant magazines like The Economist, who are good at putting us under a magnifying glass and identifying areas where we can do better. And that is a very good thing for us that we do that.

“But sometimes we forget that other countries also have things that they need to improve. I’ve had conversations with European finance ministers who say they wish they could stop our education system for theirs.”

11:09 AM GMT

Jeremy Hunt: 'Barbenheimer' proves Britain's creative sectors are thriving

Asked if he was concerned that the real-terms decline of public investment in the creative industries were “draining the fuel” from the economy, Jeremy Hunt said Britain’s “innate creativity” remains a key area for growth.

“Film and TV production in the last four years, I don’t think there’s any evidence of what you said because our studio space has gone up by two-thirds, Netflix alone has spent £6bn and we’ve attracted those industries here because of very generous tax reliefs.”

Mr Hunt pointed to Barbie and Oppenheimer, the two films that most captured the public imagination this summer, both being made in the UK.

“You’ve got a combination of Hollywood and Sillicon Valley, which is absolutely increidble,” he added.

10:52 AM GMT

Jeremy Hunt: Raise productivity to raise living standards

The tax breaks for businesses unveiled at the Autumn Statement were designed to improve Britain’s productivity, Jeremy Hunt has said.

Speaking at the Resolution Foundation’s conference, the Chancellor insisted: “The only way in the long run that you can raise living standards is by raising productivity.”

He predicted the measures would increase business investment by £20bn every year.

10:37 AM GMT

'Nigel Farage, the comeback kid, looks set to annihilate the Tories'

The Cabinet reshuffle that brought back David Cameron was supposed to reunite the Tory “sensibles”, reassure centre-ground voters and put Rishi Sunak on course for a general election victory next year, writes Patrick O’Flynn.

If one could liken it to a film scene it would be the end of The Railway Children when the young Jenny Agutter runs along the platform shouting “daddy, my daddy” before throwing herself into the arms of her father, freshly returned from a spell in political disgrace.

Unfortunately for Sunak, a different film scene now stalks the minds of Conservative MPs – the one in The Shining where Jack Nicholson smashes in a door panel with an axe, pushes his manically expressive face through and declares: “Here’s Johnny!”

The inside track on Farage’s potential comeback

09:59 AM GMT

Chris Packham files legal challenge against Rishi Sunak’s ‘reckless’ net zero policies

Chris Packham has accused the Government of delaying a petrol vehicles ban “on a reckless whim for political gain” as he launches a High Court challenge.

The broadcaster has applied for a judicial review of the Government’s decision to ditch the timetable for phasing out petrol and diesel powered cars and vans, gas boilers and minimum energy ratings for homes.

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said it rejects Mr Packham’s claims and will “robustly” defend the challenge.

The measures and their schedule had been set out in the Government’s Carbon Budget Delivery Plan, which was put before Parliament in March this year.

Will Bolton has more here

09:41 AM GMT

Peter Lilley: Cop28 should prompt a net zero rethink

There is no doubt that divine providence has a sense of humour, writes Peter Lilley.

As our King and Prime Minister joined tens of thousands of eco-warriors at Cop28, in Dubai, to decry (and contribute to) the threat of carbon emissions warming the planet, Alpine ski slopes were covered in pre-seasonal snow and Britain has had its earliest snowfall in 15 years.

It reminded me of the night, 15 years ago, when Parliament passed the Climate Change Act amid terrifying predictions of catastrophic heatwaves. Then, too, providence teased us as, outside Parliament, snow fell in London in October for the first time in 74 years.

I was one of the “Infamous Five” who voted against that Act. Not because I doubted the science – I studied physics at Cambridge and know the basic science of global warming is rock solid. An exceptional cold-weather event no more disproves global warming than fires in Greece prove it is getting worse.

Incidentally, Nasa satellites show that the area burnt annually by forest fires has declined by 25 per cent since they started collecting data.

Peter Lilley: This jamboree shows why I opposed the Climate Change Act

09:19 AM GMT

Labour: We'd drop 'failing' Rwanda scheme and create 'level playing field'

Labour would drop the “failing” Rwanda scheme and create a “level playing field” for immigrants wanting to come to the United Kingdom, its campaign chief has said.

Pat McFadden emphasised his party’s opposition to the deportation programme, which was dealt a blow by the Supreme Court last month as it was declared unlawful.

“One thing we are saying is: let’s get rid of the wage incentive for migrant workers, where right now under the Tories it’s legal to pay people 20 per cent less than the going rate for the equivalent British worker,” he told GB News.

“Let’s change that and at least make it a level playing field for people who want to come into the country. And maybe instead of throwing more and more money at a failing Rwanda scheme, why not take that money and spend it on attacking the criminal gangs organising this illegal trade of people in the first place?

“There’s two things that might make a difference, neither of which the Conservatives will do.”

09:11 AM GMT

Farage would be welcome to rejoin ‘broad church’ Tories, says Sunak

Rishi Sunak suggested Nigel Farage would be welcome to rejoin the Conservatives, insisting the party was a “broad church”.

Mr Farage left the Tories in 1992 after the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, which laid the foundation for shared judicial and foreign policies among EU members.

He went on to play a prominent role in campaigning for Britain’s departure from the EU as the leader of Ukip and then the Brexit Party.

Mr Farage, currently appearing on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, is the honorary president of Reform UK, the insurgent Right-wing party currently polling at almost 10 per cent.

Asked about a plea from Stanley Johnson, the father of former prime minister Boris Johnson, for the Conservatives to “open their arms” to Mr Farage, Mr Sunak replied: “Our party has always been a broad church.”

09:06 AM GMT

UK lawyers could be stationed in Rwandan courts under new treaty

British government lawyers could be stationed in Rwandan courts as part of a new treaty, expected to be signed this week, to help get deportation flights taking off, writes Ben Riley-Smith.

The Telegraph understands the proposal has been discussed by UK and Rwandan negotiators as they move forward with finalising the text of the legal agreement.

It is hoped the treaty can address the concerns of the Supreme Court about the legal process in Rwanda. Last month, judges ruled that the deportation scheme was unlawful.

Allowing UK government lawyers to advise Rwandan judges, perhaps for specific asylum case hearings or for longer periods, could help ensure asylum appeals are correctly granted.

08:57 AM GMT

UK’s woke Left in toxic alliance with Hamas, says British-born Israeli politician

“Woke” Left-wing activists have formed a “toxic alliance” with Islamic fundamentalists to stoke anti-Semitism in the UK, Israel’s most senior British-born politician has told The Telegraph.

In an interview, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum also branded the United Nations as “the worst” after its women’s group was accused of taking 57 days to condemn the “brutal attacks by Hamas” on Israel on Oct 7 including the rape of Israeli women.

Mrs Hassan-Nahoum, 50, the deputy mayor of Jerusalem, warned that the war in Gaza would continue for up to six more months but said she found it “difficult to believe” Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu could continue in office following the intelligence and security failures in the run-up to the Hamas attack.

Mrs Hassan-Nahoum, who was born in London and grew up in Gibraltar, flew into the UK to join a protest on Sunday against UN Women held outside Downing Street.

Robert Mendick, The Telegraph’s Chief Reporter, has more

08:40 AM GMT

Labour campaign chief: I do not 'admire' Margaret Thatcher - but she won big

Labour’s election campaign chief has said he does not “admire” Margaret Thatcher but acknowledged her success at the ballot box.

Pat McFadden, the opposition’s national campaign coordinator, told Sky News: “I recognise she won three times.

“I would hope if we were going to win elections, we would make change with the same determination but not in the same direction.”

It came after MPs on the Left of the Labour Party attacked Sir Keir Starmer, their party leader, over his “Mandelsonian” ploy to woo Tory voters by praising Margaret Thatcher.

Angry backbenchers warned that he risked alienating traditional supporters and called his attempt to win over Conservative backers a “fantasy”.

08:36 AM GMT

New wave of Tory MPs poised to quit politics in new year

A new wave of Conservative MPs are expected to announce that they are quitting politics in the new year as poor polling numbers help convince more Tories to stand down.

Multiple Conservative MPs have told The Telegraph that some colleagues have admitted in private that they have decided to not seek re-election and will say so early next year.

Others are expecting colleagues to discuss standing down with their families over Christmas, with a minister predicting that many will conclude: “Screw this for a game of soldiers.”

Figures in Conservative Campaign Headquarters, which is planning the election campaign, and the Tory whips’ office are also braced for a flurry of new departures.

Ben Riley-Smith, our Political Editor, has the scoop

08:34 AM GMT

Licence fee latest: 'What we're concerned about is the cost of living'

The Government is not “ripping up” a licence fee deal with the BBC, Lucy Frazer has insisted.

When that turn of phrase was put to her by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Culture Secretary responded: “I wouldn’t put it like that at all, no. What we’re concerned about is the cost of living. And as the Government we have taken a number of steps to protect people from the rise of the cost of living over the course of the last few years.

“What we’re looking at is the appropriate rate of inflation. And we’re considering that with an eye on the fact that we want to ensure that people continue to be able to afford their bills.”

Confirming a decision would be finalised “very soon”, she added: “I regularly speak to the BBC. I’ve spoken to Tim Davie [the BBC director-general] probably around five times over the last few weeks alone. I spoke to the chair last week. This is an issue we have been discussing with the BBC for a number of months.”

08:20 AM GMT

Hunt and Starmer set to address economics conference

Jeremy Hunt will take part in a fireside chat at 10:15am this morning at an event held by the Resolution Foundation think tank.

This will be followed by a speech at the same event by Sir Keir Starmer at 2pm.

I will be bringing you all the latest from both the Chancellor and the Labour leader in this live blog.

08:17 AM GMT

Labour election chief: Starmer wants to be ‘conviction politician’ like Thatcher

Sir Keir Starmer would want to govern as a “conviction politician” like Margaret Thatcher, Labour’s election chief has said after a row over his party leader’s praise for the Iron Lady.

Sir Keir is facing criticism from trade unions and his own MPs after heaping praise on Thatcher for effecting “meaningful change” in an article for The Sunday Telegraph at the weekend.

Asked by LBC if he agreed with Sir Keir, Pat McFadden, Labour’s national campaign co-ordinator, said: “There’s such a long history to this. I remember when Gordon Brown when he was PM invited Mrs Thatcher to tea at No 10 and he described her as a conviction politician who saw the need for change. And we had some of the same fuss at that time. There’s a long history to these things.

“What Keir was doing in the [article] yesterday was making the same point, that there are conviction politicians who change the country. And he wants to be one of those, not one of those who drifts along and is buffeted by events. I agree that she was a conviction politician but it is not an endorsement of her policy. And the truth is Gordon Brown praised her, Tony Blair said she was a ‘towering figure’, now Keir’s said this.”

Mr McFadden added: “There is no path to victory that doesn’t include appealing to people who have been voting Conservative in recent years. And the broader point that Keir was making in that article... is that many of those people have been let down.”

08:10 AM GMT

Licence fee rise ‘must be fair’ to taxpayer, Culture Secretary warns BBC

The planned rise in the BBC licence fee rise “must be fair” to taxpayers, the Culture Secretary has warned.

Rishi Sunak is set to block a nine per cent increase in the fare in April after it was due to jump by almost £15 to £173.30.

Asked whether an uplift of that scale would no longer happen, Lucy Frazer told Sky News: “Well, I’m concerned that it’s a very high level. It’s a decision I’m looking at at the moment and I will be making an announcement very shortly… I’m concerned about that level of that rise.

Ms Frazer added: “We are concerned to ensure that the licence fee is fair to people, particularly in this cost of living crisis, and also we do need to support the BBC so they can produce good content but the media landscape is changing.

“400,000 people did not review their licence fee last year, and that’s why I’m also doing a broader review on the licence fee in the round and how we should fund the BBC.”

08:06 AM GMT

Good morning

Dominic Penna here, The Telegraph’s Political Correspondent, guiding you through today in Westminster.

There is bad news for Rishi Sunak this morning as the latest monthly survey by the Tory news and opinion site ConservativeHome shows his popularity is an all-time low among the party’s grassroots.

Despite being top of the table in the previous month while he was foreign secretary, James Cleverly’s net approval rating is down by more than 60 points just a few weeks into his tenure as Home Secretary after a series of rows.

I will be guiding you through all the latest developments.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.